What We Have Been Up To – Aug 2022
These are the important campaigns we are engaged in this summer and early fall with our allies and community partners:
- Save Our Water is a campaign to raise awareness about Sio Silica Corporation’s sand mining activities in southeastern Manitoba. There are serious concerns about the potential impact on the environment, particularly the Winnipeg Sandstone and Red River Carbonate aquifers and associated drinking water and human health. We and our coalition members are launching a campaign to raise at least $15,000 so that we can hire independent experts to testify at the upcoming CEC hearing to voice our concerns and protect our water. Learn more here.
- Bill 22 (Cosmetic Pesticides Act): Manitoba has tabled legislation that will allow municipalities and lawn care companies to resume using currently banned pesticides on municipal and residential lawns. If passed by the Legislature and proclaimed as law, Bill 22 would allow lawn care companies and municipalities to apply the more toxic pesticides on lawns and boulevards, thereby increasing resident exposure to harmful chemicals. You can learn more about Bill 22 and Cosmetic Pesticide Ban Manitoba, which is a coalition fighting against this by clicking here.
- Bill 36 guts the Public Utilities Board (PUB) of its ability to independently regulate hydro rates. If passed it would allow any current and future government to create new rules on how electricity rates are set without having to justify it before the Legislative Assembly. This disproportionately impacts vulnerable Manitobans as it strips the PUB of its impartial oversight role in setting hydro and natural gas rates. You can do something to stop this troubling Bill by sending a letter https://protectpub.ca/send-a-letter/ to your local MLA and the government expressing your concerns.
